


Getting High Off Power

by Lula_Landry



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crossover, Detectives, Dubious Consent, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Murder Mystery, Slow Burn, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:47:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22933555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lula_Landry/pseuds/Lula_Landry
Summary: An modern fantasy AU inspired by Brian Michael Bendis' Powers comics, where superheroes and villains exist in the real world.Rae is the newest detective in the Powers division, investigating superpower related crimes. Ben is her brooding partner with a legendary record and massive chip on his shoulder. They have a murder to solve, but their biggest obstacle will be learning to work with one another.
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

I can’t stand to fly; I’m not that naïve  
I’m just bound to find the better part of me

\------------------------------------

Detective Rae Jackson was embarrassed to find herself slightly breathless as she walked into the 59th Precinct police house. 

There was nothing special about her surroundings. To call it dingy would have been kind. The original cream paint had turned grey beneath layers of filth and the unmistakable odor of human waste greeted her, seeming to emanate from the badly scarred front desk. 

As far as she was concerned, however, this was the stuff of dreams. 

A uniformed police officer gave her a harried look. “Whaddya want?” he demanded.

Rae raised a slender brow, flashing her badge. “Chief Calrissian is expecting me. I’m Detective Jackson.”

The uniform was unimpressed. “Straight through and you’ll find him behind the blue door,” he said, returning to the ringing telephone. 

She maneuvered her way past desks cluttered with the usual stack of files and coffee cups. Police officers were going about their daily business; handling screaming suspects and doing a little hollering of their own. 

Rae caught herself smiling as she knocked on the only blue door in the room. It was as if someone had shot pure adrenaline into her veins.

“Come in!” a gruff voice bellowed.

She walked into a muddled office that smelled faintly of Chinese takeaway. A sleek man with enormous grey eyebrows glared at her. 

“Well?”

“Detective Rae Jackson reporting for duty, sir.”

He blinked at her in momentary confusion and then the penny seemed to drop. “You’re the one from Jakku who asked for the transfer to our Powers Division.”

The chief looked her over with the casual lust to which Rae was long accustomed. She was sixteen when her body rebelled against her wishes to be sinewy and androgynous. Instead, she had developed breasts like ripe apples, her small waist curving into slight hips with a pert ass that would have made any man want to procreate.

Rae wore her thick, glossy red hair in three buns, quirky enough to reveal her personality but with not a strand out of place. Her old workmates used to joke that a can of hairspray was sacrificed every morning she swept her locks up onto her head. 

Her porcelain skin glowed like sunshine, unexpectedly tan for a genuine redhead, a smattering of freckles across her nose. Her eyes were clear hazel, more green than brown when she was happy, which she was at the moment, her lashes long and as thick as soot. Her only concession to make-up was a lime and coconut lip balm. 

There was a time when Rae had dressed like a guy to downplay her physical attributes, her small, lithe frame and luscious, wine dark hair, but then her natural belligerence reasserted itself. She currently wore a blush pink crop top with a black denim miniskirt and white sneakers, her diamond and titanium belly button ring winking in the light. Her only concession to formality was a fitted black suit jacket. 

It took a minute for Lando Calrissian to assess her. “Why are you here, Jackson? No one has ever asked to join the Powers division before.”

“I wanted the hardest challenge in the force,” Rae replied. “I worked the last three years in narcotics, but I don’t think tangling with gangbangers compares with investigating superhuman beings.”

“Why?”

She shrugged, but her response was swift and thought through. “You’re breaking new ground, going where no one has gone before. You establish precedent as you solve each case. It’s both complicated and fundamental work.”

The chief frowned. “We don’t have room for glory hounds on this team, Jackson.”

Rae drew a breath to defend her statement, but at that moment a big man burst through the office door. “Chief, the mayor’s dead. Looks like powers implications.”

Calrissian nodded. “Yeah, I just got the call. The D.A. is jumping around like an electrocuted catfish.”

“Mine to investigate?”

“Naturally. And Skywalker- this here’s your new partner.”

Rae felt her heart skip a beat as Detective Ben Skywalker- otherwise known as the real reason behind her requested transfer- turned toward her. 

She reluctantly waited for his response to her presence, not wishing to see the same look of lust she elicited from everyone on the street on this man’s face, but his only reaction was one of unwelcome surprise. 

She stuck out her hand. “I’m Rae Jackson. Pleased to meet…”

“I told you, no partners,” Skywalker said abruptly, dark eyes snapping back to Calrissian. He’d left her hanging. 

The chief scowled. “This comes straight from the top brass, Skywalker. You might be the best damn detective I have, but they’re willing to push you aside if you don’t play ball.”

“They can’t get rid of me,” he scoffed. “I’m the only one here who gets any kind of result from the Powers community…”

“And that’s raising eyebrows,” Calrissian interrupted calmly, his words loaded with unspoken meaning.

Rae watched a muscle twitch in Skywalker’s square jaw. “Fine,” he muttered. “With me, Jackson. The crime scene’s growing cold.”

He swept out of the office without sparing her a glance and she almost had to break into a jog to keep up with his stride. He was a big man, head and shoulders taller than her. His size was startling- she’d never before felt so diminutive next to another person. 

Skywalker moved with the smooth grace of a thickly muscled beast, his broad shoulders and lean hips emphasized by a generic navy blue suit. His shirt was white, the tie a darker blue. 

The outfit was unimaginative. Clearly, he was dressing himself. So there was no woman in his life?

 _Focus on the job, Jackson,_ Rae told herself. 

She couldn’t believe her mind had wandered into forbidden territory already. But then, no one could deny that Ben Skywalker was unique.

He was almost legend in cop circles, though he had as many critics as he did fans. He brought in more super villain busts than any other ten detectives combined, and rumor was he had personal ties to the superhero community. There was still a lot of distrust surrounding anyone with powers, so Skywalker’s connection to them didn’t help his reputation. Not that he seemed to care.

She glanced surreptitiously at her new partner. 

He was some seven years older than her twenty-eight, or so she had read. His raven black hair and scorching amber eyes were fitting to the pale face, Skywalker’s cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, his mouth an unexpectedly sensual promise. Rae wondered how many women had experienced the tenderness of his kiss. 

_Stop it! He’s your partner._

“Where are we headed?” she asked slipping into the passenger side of a silver Ford GTX.

He revved up the engine and peeled away from the precinct parking lot like a bat out of hell. “City Hall. The Mayor of Coruscant has been caught dead with his pants down.”

“Literally?”

“Yes.”

“Then why call the Powers division?”

“Apparently his death was a little… phenomenal.”

“How so?”

“Find out when we get there.”

Rae bit her lip. Not so much with the talking then. “Nice car,” she tried again.

“Came from impound.”

“No one reclaimed it?”

“Belonged to a drug dealer.”

Rae shot him a cool look. “Have you ever tried complete sentences?”

He didn’t reply, taking a corner at law-breaking speed. 

Rae chewed her lip. She hadn’t gotten to where she was by being a wallflower. “What you said before, about not wanting a partner… I need to know you’ll give me a chance to prove myself.” She waited a few heartbeats for a response, but there was none forthcoming. “I just want to be clear where we stand. Why pretend, Skywalker?”

“Why indeed?” he said, more to himself than her, his eyes never moving from the road.

Rae frowned. That wasn’t much of an answer.

City Hall turned out to be a five-story coral pink building that resembled an upside down mushroom. There were a dozen squad cars parked haphazardly around the front entrance, and even more news vans creating a virtual road block.

Skywalker parked illegally and strode through the mass of humanity with an expression that was openly disapproving. He avoided the journalists with ease, his speed an effective deterrent since by the time they recognized him, he was halfway through the front entrance. They did not know her, so Rae passed by unmolested as well.

“Push the barrier further back,” Skywalker snapped to one man.

Rae watched as the cop rushed off to do the great detective’s bidding, a petrified expression on his face. She hid an amused smile. 

They entered City Hall to find another three officers waiting for them.

“Fifth floor,” a woman mumbled, waving them towards the elevators, not quite meeting Skywalker’s eyes.

The mirrored elevator doors opened to reveal pearl white wallpaper, black and white marble floors and shining crystal fixtures. A polished mahogany desk sat at an angle in front of bronze-plated double doors leading into the mayor’s office.

“At least we can now tell the taxpayer’s where their money has gone to,” Rae muttered under her breath.

Skywalker didn’t respond, striding past an officer who was taking a statement from a distraught young woman. Judging her by the powder pink knockoff Chanel suit, blood red nails and artificially streaked lavender hair, Rae guessed that this was Mayor Snoke’s personal assistant. 

The redhead followed her partner into the mayor’s office. They were confronted with more antique furniture and expensive fixings. Large picture windows displayed an impressive view of downtown Coruscant.

The only thing amiss was the naked man sprawled in front of a roll top desk. 

“Doc,” Skywalker said in greeting.

An older woman staggered slightly as she stood to her feet. She was stringy with age, her face wrinkled like a prune. “Damn my arthritis,” she croaked. “Ben,” she greeted the detective. Rheumy blue eyes then spotted Rae. “And who is this?” she asked with more enthusiasm. 

“New partner. Detective Jackson, meet Doc Maz Kanata.”

Rae held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Dr Kanata grabbed her hand, her grip surprisingly strong. “The pleasure’s all mine, dearie.”

Rae laughed. “Um, thank you.”

“Who decided to waste your beauty on this plebian?” the coroner asked.

“That would be Calrissian,” Skywalker replied.

“Wrong,” Rae said sweetly. “I chose this assignment. Silly me.”

Dark amber eyes turned to assess her fully for the first time. Skywalker opened his mouth to ask a question but stopped himself, turning instead to the doc. “What did you find?”

“Ligature marks around the wrists and throat. Based upon the bruising on his neck I suspected auto erotic asphyxiation; that is, until I tried to take his liver temp.”

“And?”

“There was no liver,” the doc grinned.

“Excuse me?” Rae queried.

“No. Liver,” Doc Kanata repeated. “I decided to feel the rest of his pudgy body. Notice anything odd?”

“It’s weirdly shaped,” she offered.

“That’s because the heart, lungs and a variety of internal organs are also missing,” the coroner chirped.

“There are no incision marks. Is that why it’s a Powers case?” Rae asked. “You can’t tell how the organs were removed?”

Kanata shook her head. “Oh, I know how the organs were removed. Take a look at his left hand.”

Skywalker crouched next to the out-flung limb and Rae bent over her partner. 

“Huh,” was all she said.

Mayor Snoke’s pinky was not hidden in the thick carpet as anyone would have assumed at first glance, but rather embedded flawlessly in the fibers.

“That finger was phased into the floor,” Doc said gleefully.

“As were the organs,” Skywalker sighed, standing up, “straight out of his body. Thanks doc. Send me the report.”

“Will do, sport. Nice meeting you, Jackson.”

“Now what?” Rae asked, breaking into a trot to keep up with Skywalker. 

“We talk to the secretary.”

“I believe the politically correct term is personal assistant,” she said blandly.

He ignored her.

The purple-haired woman was seated behind her desk again, her make-up tear-streaked but her eyes dry. Skywalker spoke briefly with the officer before turning to her.

“Ms Holdo,” he said, leaning against the desk to face her. 

She looked up at him with flat blue eyes.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Fuck it,” the girl responded. Her casual profanity was shocking coming from the perfectly groomed face. “This was just a job. Ask me your questions and get it over with. You won’t suffer any false loyalty from me.”

“Alright then,” Skywalker said, eyebrows raised. “What time did the mayor receive his visitor?”

“I- I’m not sure. Roughly twice a week over lunch time Snoke would request I take an extended break. He was pretty discreet, all things considered. I’ve never caught sight of his girlfriends, and I certainly didn’t know he was seeing women after hours too. I discovered his body this morning when I arrived for work.”

“You never saw the woman or women in question?”

“I’d seen signs of sexual activity.”

“Signs?” Rae inquired.

“Yeah. Used condoms, furry handcuffs. Kind of gross, if you ask me.” The blonde wrinkled her nose.

“How long have you worked here?” Skywalker asked.

“Two years in the building, three months as the mayor’s assistant.”

“And he’s had his twice weekly lunch date all that time?”

“Yes. I wish I could tell you more, but I’ve never seen his playmate. I can’t imagine what loser would sleep with that sleaze, even for money.” She looked slightly ill at the thought.

“Um, thanks,” Skywalker said. “Just leave your details with the officer.”

“She’s the sensitive type,” Rae said as they got into the elevator. “I can tell.”

Skywalker stared coolly at her and Rae tried not to roll her eyes. 

_Focus on the case, Jackson._

And then he asked, “What did you mean, you chose this?”

Rae was momentarily thrown.

“You said you chose to be in the Powers division.”

She had also chosen to partner him, but something told Rae to keep that piece of information to herself. Skywalker had definite trust issues. “I was involved in the Jakku First National Bank hostage situation. It gave me some leverage when I requested this transfer.”

“I remember that,” he said. “Are you the officer who won the medal of honor? Impressive work.” 

“It’s the job,” she said simply, secretly pleased he had heard of her.

“That was a high risk situation. Is that why you’re here? You like living dangerously?” 

“What?” Rae turned on him, startled. “You have no right to judge me. You don’t even know me.”

“I know that it’s not normal for a person with a high flying career on the force to ask to be placed in my division.”

“And why do you do it? To let your friends off easy?” 

“Is that what you heard?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

Rae regretted the words as soon as she spoke them, but Skywalker had hit too close to home with his questions. She did live on the edge; it was the only thing that made her feel alive. 

“No one who becomes a cop is looking for health and safety,” she said at last. 

He glanced at her, amber eyes unreadable. “I know that. So why are you overreacting?”

“I’m not…” She forcibly swallowed her outrage. “Okay, so I’m a little sensitive. Maybe I don’t like being criticized by someone I’ve just met.”

“I can understand that.” 

Rae flushed at the irony in his tone. “I apologize for what I said.” She paused for a heartbeat. “But you do know a lot of superheroes personally.”

He shrugged broad shoulders. “It’s the job,” Skywalker said, throwing her words back at her before heading downstairs to his car.

Rae caught a first glimmer of his sense of humor, but it did a little to soothe her jangled nerves as she hustled after him. 

This assignment would be the death of her, she could already tell.


	2. Chapter 2

I’m more than a bird; I’m more than a plane,  
I’m more than some pretty face beside a train,  
And it’s not easy to be me.  
\----------------------------------------

Rae had a strawberry yoghurt cup for lunch as she scanned the Powers database back at the station for anyone with the ability to phase through solid matter. 

By law every person with a power was supposed to register their abilities. Whether they were super powered citizens lived out their lives as everyday people, heroes or even villains, it was irrelevant. It was a felony to stay under the radar.

No one knew when or why super humans began to emerge. Some blamed mutagens in food crops, others pollution in the air. There was even a conspiracy theory involving aliens and unknown worlds. Rae didn’t care about the whys and wherefores. For her, criminals were criminals, no matter what their method of executing a crime. 

Skywalker had been right about her. She was a thrill seeker, desperate for her next high. The Powers division would satisfy her need. 

She justified her addiction to adrenaline in her own mind. For too long she had lived responsibly, always doing the right thing. In a society with multiple choices, she had always picked plain vanilla.

And then her boring, ordinary life had blown up in her face. 

Crime and violence were the elements that now composed her world. In the process of rediscovering herself and what she was capable of, Rae had discovered Detective Ben Skywalker; the amazing policeman with the incredible record and mysterious past. 

She used to stare at his profile in grainy newspaper articles when she was just a beat cop in Jakku, puzzled by her own fascination with a complete stranger. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. There was a shadow inside the soul of this good man the world thought they knew.

She wanted to step into that darkness.

_He’s your partner. Serve and protect, Rae. Get your head straight._

Three names. Rae picked up her scribbled list and left the gloomy research room.

“Anyone seen Skywalker?”

“Why, hello pretty lady,” a man in a slick grey suit called out, walking up to her. He was boyishly handsome with dark curly hair and deep brown eyes, his gaze now roaming the planes of her body. “I’m Detective Dameron, but you may call me Poe.”

“Pleased to meet you, Poe,” Rae said, trying not to grit her teeth. “I’m Detective Jackson and I’m looking for my partner.”

“Hot damn. I had no idea partners came looking like you, babe.”

The cops around them were listening now, and Rae bared her teeth in a savage smile. “The next time you call me babe, Poe, I’ll break your face.” There was open laughter as the other man took a step back. “Now, where’s Skywalker?”

Poe gave her an ugly look which she met with a hard stare. She knew his type. She had bruised his ego so he would now spread the vilest rumors about her sexuality. None of it was surprising to Rae- she’d endured worse.

“He’s on the roof with a visitor.”

Rae frowned. “Who?”

“Who do you think?” Poe sneered, walking away. 

The others in the squad room immediately returned to their work, avoiding her gaze.

Rae eventually found the narrow stairwell that led to the roof of the precinct, cursing Skywalker for making her search for him at all. Her shoe caught in the cracked cement of a stair, and she swore if she ended up with a broken skull, she was suing both her partner and the force.

As she drew closer she heard voices, and an instinct made Rae hesitate. 

Was this a private conversation? But Poe’s tone had piqued her curiosity. Who was Skywalker talking to?

She pushed the rusty door open with the toe of her sneaker. Skywalker was on the dusty cement roof top with… Bazine. Wow. 

The superhero was in her skintight black and purple spandex costume, looking good from her waterfall of ebony hair down to her high heeled violet boots. Her finely boned face was hidden behind dark wraparound shades, but you could still tell she was beautiful.

Rae quickly recalled Bazine’s powers. She could fly and had the relative strength of ten men, but her particular gift was plasma blasts she released from her fingertips at will. 

The couple heard her arrive and stopped talking.

“Who’s this?” Bazine asked, in the same tone a prom queen would refer to the school janitor.

“My new partner, Detective Jackson.”

“Hi,” Rae said, pleased that her freckled skin was not burning scarlet. It wasn’t every day one met a hero of mythic proportions. “I can come back later.”

“No,” Bazine said, turning to Skywalker, “I have to go.” She hesitated, and like any other flesh and blood woman, the brunette goddess said, “We never talk any more, Ben.” 

“I…” He looked at her, an unnamed pain on his chiseled face. “Things are different now, Bazine.”

“I know. Still…” Her statuesque body lifted gracefully into the air.

“Yeah.”

“Call me.”

“I will.” 

And she flew away.

Rae stared after Bazine. If she hadn’t been in so much awe of the woman, she would have hated her guts. Skywalker had actual Amazons pursuing him. Talk about competition. 

“What was that about?”

Dark honey eyes finally seemed to acknowledge her presence. “I wanted to find out if Bazine knew anything about powers in the sex industry. Maybe Snoke angered his call girl and she turned out to be juiced.”

“And?”

“She gave me a name. Storm Trooper- aka Finn Jones- runs the local crime syndicate. He’s the one who controls the drugs and prostitution in the area.”

“Storm Trooper.” Rae looked at him in disbelief.

“What?”

“The villain who throws up digestive juices on his enemies to liquify them? That is, unless said victim kicks him in the stones and jogs home for a quick shower?”

“Yeah,” Skywalker said, running a hand through thick-as-fudge hair. “He got lucky one day and ate the right guy. Impressed a whole bunch of people.”

“If you say so,” Rae muttered. “Oh, I wanted to tell you that I found three registered powers that can phase through solid material. Only thing is they’re all guys.” 

“Hand the list to Poe,” Skywalker said, shrugging his jacket back on. “It could be one of those whackjobs is working with a woman and killed the mayor, but I doubt it. My instincts are telling me the suspect worked alone. The crime scene was too neat for an orgy.”

“Poe.” She repeated, her tone even.

“The curly-haired one.”

“I know which one he is, thanks.”

Skywalker paused, looking at Rae with something akin to concern. “He’s kind of a jerk.”

“I noticed.” Rae appreciated the fact Skywalker didn’t try to play the protective older brother with her. Or perhaps he simply didn’t care enough.

“The chief put him on the case. We’re still lead, but the D.A. is baying for blood. We might as well use him.”

Rae nodded. “So we go see Trooper now?” Skywalker was already halfway down the stairwell and she trotted after him. “My second field trip of the day. What fun.” 

“So cliché,” Rae murmured as Skywalker neared the Coruscant warehouse district. “A mobster with an office near meat lockers.”

“Last stop for the night,” he said, pulling up next to a cluster of cars. 

For the first time, Rae noticed the twilight sky. The day was almost done, she realized with some surprise. 

Strobe lights spilling out of one reconstructed warehouse proved to be a glaringly obvious marker. They walked through the front doors and found themselves in a cheaply done strip club. Beautiful women danced on wooded platforms in various stages of undress. The bar was cracked laminate and the tables looked too fragile to hold up the drinks.

There were no bouncers, Rae realized. At least, none at the entranceway. She suspected those who knew about the place stayed away unless expressly invited by Trooper. The clientele was a strange mixture of mobster hard men and leather clad cretins whom she could only guess were Bug’s minions.

One big man finally halted their progress toward the back of the room. He had Rastafarian dread locks and muscles that squirmed like boulders under heavily tattooed skin, his expression hostile. “Where you two goin’?” he demanded.

“Tell Trooper that Detectives Skywalker and Jackson want to talk,” Skywalker said, flashing his badge.

And that was when Rae knew.

The moment she heard Skywalker include her name, Rae understood she had been right about him all along. He was different from the other sexist pigs with whom she worked. She didn’t have long to dwell on this however, as the pressure in the room suddenly rose ten degrees with her partner’s demand. 

“I don’ think he want to see no copper,” the other man snarled, stepping closer to the detectives. Wild eyes raked over Rae’s body, admiring the tight fit of her skirt. “Now this one, if she takes off her clothes, we could probably set up a meet.”

One minute Skywalker was eye-balling the other man, and the next he had the guy slammed against a table, smashing a stein of beer in the process and scattering nearby patrons. Rae blinked, startled by her partner’s strength and speed. 

“All we want to do is talk,” the detective snarled, keeping the other man pinned with just one hand. “Now if you want to make a federal case out of this…”

“Hey, hey, hey!” a new voice called out. “No need to handle the help, Detective. Perhaps you’d like to step into my parlor?”

“Said the spider to the fly,” Rae muttered to Skywalker as he released the muscle man.

“Long time no see, Detective,” Trooper said, ushering them into the back room and settling on a red velvet armchair. 

He was a compact man with smooth chocolate skin and a charming smile, dressed in a shiny silk suit, his only concession to super villain status a pair of black and white bubble-lensed glasses. His crocodile skin shoes were on display as he lifted his feet onto a coffee table. 

Trooper noted the direction of her eyes. “I have this table here for my feet, Detective,” he said with a smile. “No woman to tell me what to do.”

“Did mean mommy spank her little boy too much?” Rae asked, her skin crawling as Trooper openly checked out her cleavage. Great.

Trooper addressed Skywalker. “New partner, Ben? Have you read her your rights yet?”

“Stop wasting my time, Finn. Do you really want me to call an audit on your place?”

“Whoa,” he protested, holding up his hands. “No need to get unfriendly. And you need to show me respect here. Call me Troop.”

“You do me a favor and I’ll think about it.”

Trooper’s greasy smile slipped a notch. “What d’you want, detective?”

“Mayor Snoke’s death. What do you know about his extra-curricular activities?” 

“Ah, good ol’ Edwin,” Trooper said, rubbing his hands. “He was one of my best customers until he became daring enough to dabble in what he really wanted.”

“And what would that be?”

“The man required pain, not sex.” Trooper made a whipping motion with his hand.

“Where would he go for that kind of action?”

Trooper smiled. “Only one place, peanut. The Scarlet Swoon is one of the more legit establishments that pays me dues.”

“I’ll be back if this doesn’t pan out, Finn,” Skywalker warned.

“Storm Trooper never lets you down,” he said, getting to his feet. They turned to leave, but the mobster held out a hand to stop them. “Wait, Ben. I have something for you.” 

Trooper rifled through his desk as the detectives watched him with differing expressions, Rae interested and Skywalker wary. Finally, Trooper handed Skywalker a rectangular package. 

“Something from the bad ol’ days. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.”

The two men exchanged level glances, but Skywalker remained silent as he took the package. 

Rae held her tongue until they were back in his car. “Are you going to open your gift?”

“It isn’t a gift,” he replied. “Trust me. Do you want to be dropped home?”

Rae accepted his skillful side stepping of the issue. “We need to write up a report on tonight’s interview.”

“I’ll do it,” Skywalker said. “No use missing sleep on your first day with the Powers squad.”

Rae gave in to the deep voice. “Fine. I live on Oakley Avenue.”

“Oakley?” he asked.

“Yes, why?”

“Kind of up-market,” he murmured.

“Maybe I’m a trust fund kid,” she snapped. 

Rae wanted to explain her mint condition condominium with its pool and gym privileges, but she had no cause to be so open when Skywalker was doing as little talking as possible. 

He was willing to accept her on merit and not bra size, but she still wasn’t his partner. Not by a long shot.

“Were you ever gonna tell me that you knew Storm Trooper personally?” she asked, fighting to keep the irritation from her tone.

Skywalker said nothing. No surprise there.

Rae bit her lower lip, a wave of fatigue washing over her. What if things never changed between them? What then? She couldn’t work with someone who was as unreadable as a brick wall. Not on this job.

First day blues, Rae. You can’t expect to be his best friend when you’ve known each other for less than twenty-four hours.

“Good night,” she murmured twenty minutes later, stepping onto her cobble-stoned footpath.

Detective Skywalker drove away, leaving her feeling strangely empty.


	3. Chapter 3

Wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees  
Find a way to lie about a home I’ll never see  
It may sound absurd, but don’t be naïve  
Even heroes have a right to bleed  
\-------------------------------------

The next morning, Rae emerged from her taxi at the same time Skywalker pulled up to the station. They exchanged bewildered glances.

On the front steps of the building was a cavalcade of reporters and photographers yelling out question. Detective Dameron was holding court, and Rae heard several ‘no comments’ come from him.

“What’s going on?” Skywalker demanded, pushing through the crowd.

“I made an arrest in Mayor Snoke’s case,” Poe said, looking pleased with himself. 

“What?” Rae exclaimed. “On what grounds?”

Poe opened his mouth but Skywalker strong armed him into the station. “Inside.”

“What do you mean, you made an arrest?” Rae asked again as soon as they were inside the precinct, crossing her arms over her chest. Poe’s eyes watched her red crop top rise another inch above her belly button and she stiffened.

“Marvelo,” Poe said, still studying her body. “He was the only phaser without an alibi for the night of the murder. 

“That’s it?” Skywalker exclaimed. “That’s your evidence? What were you thinking?”

The younger man turned to his colleague with a furious expression. “I was thinking that maybe you weren’t doing your job, as usual.”

“Shut the hell up, Poe. You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Skywalker growled.

“Yeah? Is that why you hold covert meetings with your superpower friends? You’re nothing special, Skywalker. The sooner you realize that, the better it’ll be for this whole department.”

“You think you know me?” The big man stepped up to Poe, fists clenched. 

Rae stared at Skywalker. The self-controlled man she had seen in action all of yesterday was gone, replaced by a creature of barely suppressed rage.

“Break it up!” Captain Calrissian yelled, stepping in between the two detectives. “Poe, you’re off the case.”

“What? Why?” he spluttered.

“You’re out of bounds. Snap just interviewed your suspect and there is no way he’s the murderer. Bank cameras spotted him breaking into an ATM machine across town last night, and we have a snitch who reassures us that the marvelous Marvelo was coked off his gourd immediately after the fact.” 

“You idiot,” Rae said. 

“And you, Skywalker- I need results, and I needed them yesterday.”

“Fine,” Skywalker said, already on the move.

Rae followed her partner, finally catching up to him at his desk. “What was that back there? Do you and Poe have bad blood?”

“It’s not important.” He left her alone in the squad room muttering something about chasing up a lead.

Rae chewed her lower lip in frustration as his big form disappeared down a corridor. It was like working with a ghost for a partner. She had to battle a past he refused to share and it was beginning to drive her crazy.

She leaned over their joined desks for the interview notes Skywalker had typed up from the night before. Sticking out of his drawer was a familiar brown paper package. 

Something from the ‘bad old days’, Trooper had said. Skywalker hadn’t even opened it. 

She stared at the parcel for a long time. Well, if Skywalker wouldn’t talk then perhaps his belongings might. 

She plucked the package from its place and carefully stripped off the paper, intending to rewrap the item before her partner realized what she’d done. 

“What on earth?” she murmured.

Strom Trooper’s gift was a photograph in a plain black frame. Rose Red posed in all her red, white and blue glory next to the Black Saber. It was an old picture. Despite the mask that wrapped around her eyes, Rae could tell this was Rose in her younger days as the superwoman had significantly bulked up now.

Beside which, no one had heard from Black Saber in decades. He was a superpower who had mysteriously disappeared, presumed dead. She’d always liked his costume, the snug black leather jacket and britches, the half mask that hid his face from nose down. 

Odd. Those burnt honey eyes were strangely familiar…

“Oh. My. God.” Rae dropped the picture, her heart hammering inside her chest.

A shadow fell over her desk and she looked up in dread. “Skywalker.” Rae licked her dry lips. “This was you?” It wasn’t a question.

Those amber eyes were now coal black, like freshly burnt torches. “You bitch.” 

“Would you talk to me?” Rae yelled at the broad back he’d turned to her. “I admit I shouldn’t have gone snooping in your things, but you haven’t said two words to me outside of basic civility.”

They were on the rooftop, the hot sun baking their skin. Rae stood with her hands on her hips, glad that she had decided to wear the cotton tee with her khaki skirt. Coruscant seemed permanently stuck in summer. 

“You had no right,” he said, staring into the alley below.

“I’m sorry, but I just… I want a real partner. I want _you_ to be my partner.”

Skywalker remained silent, refusing to look her away.

“The former superhero thing doesn’t change my mind about you,” Rae sighed. “I’d think you were a jackass either way.”

Still no reaction.

“Fine!” she declared, throwing her hands in the air. “If you can’t talk to me, then we’re in no position to be partners. We’re supposed to trust one other, Skywalker. In this line of work, we end up putting our lives in each other’s hands. What does it say that you can’t even have an honest conversation with me?”

He finally turned, a scowl furrowing his brow. “You’re like an annoying gnat.”

“I’m not going away just because you say shoo fly,” she bit back.

He sat down on the ledge, bulky thighs straining the material of his dress slacks. “I don’t see how telling you that I used to be… someone else makes a difference.”

“Are you kidding? It explains everything- why all the superheroes and villains give you the time of day.” She sat down next to him, crossing bare legs. “What happened? Did you just give up on the powers gig one day?”

He loosened his tie. “It’s been a long time, Jackson. Thirty-nine years.”

She gaped at him. “How old are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Seriously?”

“I have memories that trace back decades, but it’s all fuzzy now. My current life is the only one I know.”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

He laughed without any humor. “You have no idea.”

“Then talk to me.”

He hesitated for a long time. When Skywalker at last started to speak, Rae let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding. 

“We went on a mission to Mars. I was with Rose Red, Bazine and Cronus. We got the bad guys, saved the world… and then my powers began to fade. That’s all I can tell you because that’s all I know.”

“You don’t know what made it happen?”

“Here today, gone tomorrow.” He stared at the ground.

“All your powers?”

“I have some strength and speed. Nothing to compare with other super beings, of course.”

“I’m sorry, Skywalker. That must have been hard.”

He met her clear hazel gaze. “It was damn near impossible, Jackson. Losing my powers… it was like losing my whole being. My identity.”

“I can imagine.”

He shook his head. “No, you can’t. No one can. I have my old friends and rivals, some of whom pity me while others are afraid they might catch whatever power sapping Martian virus I’d picked up. And then there’s normal, everyday folk who I still don’t understand. I don’t belong with either group.” Skywalker picked up a loose chunk of cement and crushed it between his fingers. “Joining the force saved my life. It gave me purpose again. I’m not invincible and I can’t fly, but I can still get the bad guy.”

Rae’s throat ached with emotion she dared not express. She hesitated to push him further, but asked, “Does anyone in the office know about your past?”

“Only the captain,” Skywalker said. “Lando Calrissian’s a good man.”

“And what’s with Poe’s attitude?”

A fleeting smile tilted his lush mouth and she felt her heart twist for completely different reasons. “Dameron’s competitive. It drives him crazy I have the inside track in most Powers cases.”

“He’s such a moron,” Rae sighed.

Skywalker said nothing, clearly talked out.

Rae could feel the air between them shift. It was her previous experience that when someone unburdened themselves, it left them feeling vulnerable. She had to say something too.

“I became a cop because of you.”

“What?” 

Rae could see her partner staring at her out of the corner of her eye and her cheeks turned red. She hoped he thought the flush was due to the sun’s heat. 

Sure, he did. 

“Um, I was at a crossroads in my life and I didn’t know what to do next. And then I read this amazing article about the Coruscant detective breaking down barriers between normals and the superpower community. You sounded… fearless. And I wondered what that was like- living my life for a cause instead of constantly trying to meet other people’s expectations.”

“Jackson…” He sounded at a loss for words.

Oh, God- she’d gone too far.

“Right,” Rae said, jumping to her feet, “shall we visit the pimp Storm Trooper told us about?”

Skywalker stood and stretched, moving more like a panther who’d been lazing in the sun than a human male. “I think the term is madam,” he corrected. “Does this mean I’m still stuck with you?”

“If you promise to actually speak to me once a day,” she said, covering her shyness with sarcasm.

“And what do I get out of it?” 

Rae threaded the tip of a finger through her titanium belly button ring, making the diamond bauble jingle. “You get to watch me do my job in a variety of skimpy outfits.”

And his sensual mouth broke into a smile wide enough to reveal dents in his lean cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4

I may be disturbed, but won’t you concede  
Even heroes have a right to dream  
And it’s not easy to be me  
\-------------------------------------

“ _This_ is a brothel?” Rae asked, admiring the beautifully kept Victorian house. It reeked of old money rather than seedy sexual activity.

“It’s more than your standard whore house,” Skywalker said, glancing down at a printout of the website for the Scarlet Swoon in his hand. “Madam Phasma specializes in domination scenarios. Finn insinuated the same.”

“I’m trying to block out as much of his interview as I possibly can,” she admitted. “And this Phasma has powers girls working for her?”

“Maybe.”

Rae gave him a curious glance. She sensed he knew more than he was letting on, but that was nothing new. Despite his promise to be more open, she suspected Skywalker would not shake old loyalties easily. 

It obviously meant something profound to have once been a superhero. Alter egos were not easy to give up.

Skywalker rang the sonorous doorbell before trying the ornate bronze door knob. It was open. He led her through the main entrance where the walls were painted crimson and the floor covered with real Persian carpet. The two detectives stepped onto hundred thousand dollar material to approach a woman in black who was clearly waiting for them.

Rae thought she knew the true measure of beauty. She herself had not been short changed by nature, but Madame Phasma’s appearance was so overwhelming it managed to intimidate. 

The woman had skin as smooth as cream; perfectly displayed by her skintight, floor-length black velvet gown. Voluptuous breasts peeked like rising half moons from the deeply cut square neckline, her feet strapped into five-inch patent leather platform stilettos. Full lips and long nails were painted blood red, her sapphire eyes set in a strong face that was handsome rather than pretty. Her golden hair was set close to her head in stiff waves, like an old time movie starlet.

“Troop told me that you would come calling, Ben,” she purred, sashaying up to Skywalker like a stalking cat, ignoring Rae’s presence.

Skywalker seemed to have momentarily stopped breathing. “It’s been a while, Phasma,” he said, avoiding Rae’s gaze. 

“I’ve never forgotten you,” Phasma murmured, running a polished nail down his tie to his belt buckle.

Rae scowled at her partner. Oh, _hell_ no. How well did he used to know Phasma exactly?

Skywalker cleared his throat uncomfortably. Rae watched Phasma narrow her gaze, scraping red lacquered nails across his fly. He twitched like an insect pinned to cork.

Rae decided enough was enough. She inserted her body in between her partner and the madam. 

“We’re here to ask you a few questions,” she said coolly.

Rae heard Skywalker exhale, as if Phasma had released some invisible leash. Phasma’s brilliant blue eyes lost their otherworldly glow. Damn it, the woman had powers. Why hadn’t her partner told her? 

Phasma gave her a look that was chilly enough to bank flames in the open fireplace. “I’m working.”

“You sure are,” Rae glared at Skywalker and he avoided her accusatory hazel eyes, “but we’re not going anywhere until you answer some questions.”

Phasma shot Skywalker an amused look. “Feisty,” she said with a throaty laugh, but he didn’t respond. 

“Would you prefer to come with us to the station?” Rae asked coolly.

Phasma shrugged alabaster shoulders and moved towards a discreetly placed doorway. “Follow me, detectives.”

The dominatrix led them through a rabbit warren of passages. Rae heard groans and grunts coming from behind closed doors, the lusty sounds disturbing even her cool aplomb.

“What is it that you want from me?” Phasma asked, unmoved by the noise of erotic activity.

Rae decided to take control of this interview. “Was Mayor Snake one of your customers?”

“Snoke,” Skywalker corrected under his breath.

Rae shot him another dark look.

“I don’t see how his tragic death has anything to do with the Scarlet Swoon,” the madam said shortly.

“So you were aware of his death?”

“It’s been all over the news,” Phasma replied, not missing a beat.

“Was he a client?”

Deep blue eyes looked Rae’s way. “Yes.” She stopped in front of frosted glass doors. “Like most men in power he wanted to be dominated. Whips, chains, handcuffs. The whole nine yards. Some men are control freaks in bed.” The sapphire gaze flickered to Skywalker’s hostile face. “Snoke was the opposite- he wanted to be reduced to a bootlicker.”

Rae tried not to let her irritation visibly show. 

They had finally arrived at a small and disappointingly ordinary office. Phasma sat behind a cluttered desk, gazing contemplatively at them. Rae chose a chair and Skywalker remained standing, leaning up against a metal filing cabinet.

“Are you a natural redhead?” Phasma said, apropos to nothing. “You know, detective, with your face and body you could earn incredible amounts of money.”

“When was the last time Mayor Snoke visited your establishment?” Rae asked, her tone chilly. 

Phasma smirked. “It’s been months. You may check my files. I keep excellent records. I make too much in my business to be dishonest with the taxman.”

“Do you know why the mayor stopped frequenting your place?” 

She shrugged elegantly. “I told you coming here was a waste of time.”

“The crime appears to be sexually motivated.”

“I don’t doubt that.” 

Rae turned her head to meet Skywalker’s amber eyes and he nodded slightly. Phasma was stonewalling, but there was not much they could do about it. 

She stood up to go. “If we could have those records you were talking about, we’ll let you get on with your day.”

Phasma produced a manila folder. “I already made copies.” She gazed challengingly at Skywalker. “Cops are so predictable.”

Rae placed herself in Phasma’s eye line. “Thanks,” she said, sounding anything but grateful.

The madam looked from the gorgeous redhead to the silent man and her lips tilted in knowing acknowledgement. “Of course.”

Skywalker opened the study door and collided with a breathless boy, almost flattening the younger man on impact. 

Rae frowned at the new arrival. He did not fit what she’d consider a Scarlet Swoon customer. He had a soft puppy face with big brown eyes and floppy ginger hair, dressed in an oatmeal colored knit sweater and dirty jeans.

“Kaydel’s missing,” he said sounding panicked, almost throwing himself at the madam.

“Quiet!” Phasma hissed, her voice as sharp as a knife. “Wait for me inside, Hux.” She pushed him into the study and shut the door. 

Rae looked at the other woman in open curiosity and Phasma laughed nervously, her poise momentarily shattered. “Just a customer looking for one of my girls. He won’t accept that she’s retired.”

“Sure,” Rae said dubiously. 

Skywalker was impatient to leave and took off down the hallway, file in hand. Rae would have gone after him but Phasma held her back. 

“You like him,” she said quietly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Ben.”

Rae flushed. “He’s my partner. And even if what you say was true, I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“I can sense these things. I have… a talent. Let me help.”

“Help?” the redhead spluttered. Phasma was not acting like the same woman from two minutes ago. “If you hadn’t noticed, Skywalker detests you.”

“There are other ways,” Phasma said with a sensual smile.

Rae laughed at this. “I know what you’re doing, Phasma. I wasn’t born yesterday. Your attempt to distract me from this case is pathetic.”

As she left, she heard Phasma whisper, “You’re welcome anyway.”

Rae got into Skywalker’s car in silence. He drove for a solid ten minutes before she decided her cold shoulder was not affecting him at all.

“Did you know Phasma?”

“Barely,” he muttered.

“Before or after her establishment of the brothel?”

Skywalker gave her a look that smoldered. “I don’t pay for sex.”

Rae returned his glare. “Fine.” He drove another five minutes before she spoke again. “What kind of powers does she have, exactly?”

“The dangerous kind,” he muttered. She glared at him until he clarified, “Phasma’s abilities are psionic. Mind control, mental suggestion.”

“She was pretty chill until Hux showed up,” Rae said. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That you can’t stop talking?”

“I’m a girl,” Rae said sweetly. “It’s how I work out my hormonal emotions.” Skywalker snorted. “This Kaydel sounds like a good candidate for investigation, don’t you think? Phasma nearly had a heart attack when the boy mentioned her name.”

“She could be moonlighting,” he grudgingly agreed. “Perhaps Kaydel was Mayor Snoke’s secret hook up.” 

“Phasma knows more than she’s letting on, that’s for sure.” 

“You work that out all on your lonesome, Miss Marple?” 

Rae glared at Skywalker. “Your humor is a little dated.”

“I’m devastated.”

Rae frowned, refusing to give in to the laugh that bubbled up on her lips. “Whatever. Tomorrow we work on the new lead.”

“I’ll check out Scarlet’s receipt trail tonight.”

Rae surreptitiously looked at her partner. So he didn’t have some hot date waiting for him. Was he a loner? What an incredible waste of potential.

 _Stop it, Rae. Don’t even go there._

Skywalker could never be more than a colleague, no matter what Phasma creepily promised.


	5. Chapter 5

Up, up and away, away from me  
Well, it’s alright, you can all sleep sound tonight  
I’m not crazy, or anything...  
\-----------------------------------------

She was crying out like a banshee, enthusiastically riding her lover, her orgasm building and cresting like a wave, pleasure swelling almost to the point of pain, bliss making her dizzy. She was coming… coming… 

Rae awoke with a scream. She sat up in her bed, gasping for air. 

_What was that?_

Egyptian cotton sheets were tangled around her ankles, her body slick with sweat. The threadbare t-shirt and pink silk boxers that she always slept in felt heavy on her body. She wanted to strip off and dive into the roof top swimming pool. Her flesh ached with unfulfilled need, her mind still groggy with dream.

She recalled her night time reverie and started blushing like a schoolgirl. 

She had dreamt of her supple body perched on top of Skywalker’s heavily muscled and well oiled physique. It was the most visceral fantasy she’d ever had. 

Rae shook the sleep from her eyes. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t had a man in her bed since Sheev and clearly it was starting to show. This was ridiculous. She wasn’t some bubble headed teenager jacked up on ecstasy. She was Detective Rae Jackson, and she needed to start acting like it.

After her cold shower, Rae pulled on a white tank top with a knee length black skirt, by far the most conservative outfit she had chosen since starting work at Coruscant. It wouldn’t do to tempt fate with her sparkly belly button ring. 

Fortunately, she found her partner in a bad mood- fortunate because his sullen temperament made him less attractive. The scowl on his face did nothing to emphasize his sculpted jaw and plush lips. 

Yup. Definitely.

“Where have you been?” he snapped.

“It’s eight in the morning, Skywalker,” she said in disbelief. “I'm not late.”

“I have an address to check out for Kaydel Connix. She’s been picked up twice turning tricks.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Rae muttered, but Skywalker was already out the door.

What was with him? Still, she found the rage rippling through his big body an incredible turn on. 

Stop it.

He drove them to a rundown neighborhood in an even stonier silence than usual. Rae couldn’t understand his dark mood, but she was too tired from her restless night to try and decipher the problem.

They finally pulled up at one of the saddest streets Rae had ever seen. Clearly, there was a lower end to Coruscant and they were now in it. The mysterious Kaydel stayed in a shabby motel, very likely both her home and base of operations. 

Skywalker’s scowl scared the paunchy old man at the front desk into revealing her room number even without the flash of a badge. It was gratifying to Rae that she wasn’t the only one who quivered when her partner turned up the heat.

The narrow hallway with its yellowing paisley patterned wallpaper was depressing. 

“Did the seventies come here to die?” Rae murmured, drawing a look from Skywalker. Evidently she wasn’t funny today either.

They didn’t find room 9 until she realized the gold plastic number had come loose from its moorings and now appeared as a 6. 

“This is the police,” Skywalker announced, banging loudly on the door.

Two things happened that neither detective expected. Firstly, the cheap door swung open easily, and next, the boy Hux stood in the center of Kaydel’s room looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Well now,” Rae laughed. “Here’s a twist. Did you murder the mayor?”

Hux dropped what he had been holding and bolted for the window. 

“I was kidding,” she muttered as Skywalker grabbed him by the collar, pulling the scrawny young man back into the room. 

Rae winced as her partner took out his barely suppressed aggression on the kid, slamming him up against a wall. She assessed the space with a quick glance. Dirty clothes, an unmade bed and a stack of takeaway food cartons complemented the moisture-stained ceiling and peeling wallpaper. 

She picked up what Hux had dropped and started flipping through a wallet. 

“What are you doing here?” Skywalker asked the boy, shaking him like a rat.

Ginger hair flopped around as he tried to answer. “I’m looking for Kaydel! She’s been missing since… since…”

“Since the night before?” Skywalker asked.

“Would you stop doing that before you break his neck?” Rae said, looking up in concern. 

She hadn’t thought Skywalker could be this violent. And yet there was still something about him that was making her panties damp. 

Damn it, she was in trouble.

He sat the boy down on the bed. “What’s your name?”

“Armitage Huxtable,” he wheezed.

“Phasma called you Hux,” Rae said, joining Skywalker’s side.

“That was Kaydel’s nickname for me,” he replied despondently. “Please help me find her. I don’t know what to do.” The misery on Hux’s face seemed genuine.

“Then why did you run?” Skywalker snarled.

“I was afraid,” he gasped. “I thought you’d blame me for Kaydel’s disappearance.”

“You think something’s happened to her?” Rae asked.

“She’s been sick,” Hux said, latching onto her meager show of sympathy. “Here.” He pulled a photograph from the wallet Jackson returned to him. “This is her.”

Rae stared at the grainy shot before handing it over to Skywalker. The girl was pretty, with big, pale blue eyes and jet black hair, an inch of pale roots showing. She appeared to be in her early twenties, her lipstick smeared and her mascara clumpy. 

She was oddly familiar…

“How did you meet her?”

“We met in a club back when Kaydel was with Madam Phasma. And- and we became lovers.” He glared at Skywalker, daring him to laugh. “After the first time, I never paid for her to… I never paid. She was with me because she wanted to be.”

“Why did she leave Phasma?” Rae asked.

“Phasma loved her girl- girls. But Kaydel wanted independence.”

“Was she the one turning tricks for Mayor Snoke?” Skywalker inquired coldly.

“Yes,” Hux muttered, “but she was going to stop!”

“Sure,” he snapped, “Kaydel was a real Snow White.”

Rae frowned at Skywalker, unable to pinpoint the source of her partner’s hostility.

“I’m telling the truth!” Hux spluttered. “Kaydel said things were going to be different. Something had happened that would change everything.”

“When did she say that to you?” Rae asked.

The boy kept a mutinous silence, but Skywalker picked him up by his shirt front. “Answer the detective before I pound it out of you,” he threatened.

“Sunday!” Hux squealed. “Sunday afternoon. That was the last time I saw her!”

And by Sunday night, Mayor Snoke was dead.

“Was that really necessary?” Rae squirmed in the passenger seat of Skywalker’s car. 

She felt stifled. The redhead hit a button to roll down the window.

“What?”

“Your treatment of Hux.”

“Don’t turn into a human rights activist on me, Jackson,” he growled. 

Skywalker had shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie.

“What is your deal?” she asked, running her fingernails over slim thighs, lightly scratching. It was as if there were ants crawling beneath her skin. “You’ve been angry all morning. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

Skywalker glanced at her, his strong jaw twitching. She could have set his pulse by the vein ticking on his forehead. “Do you have to keep touching yourself?”

“Don’t be rude,” she muttered. “It’s hot in here. Is your heater busted?” Rae slid her hand down her top, brushing away beads of sweat pooling in her cleavage.

“Don’t do that,” he said, sounding strained.

“I can’t help it. I feel like I’m in a sauna,” Rae half moaned. Her breathing felt constricted. “Don’t freak out,” she told her partner. 

The redhead shimmied out of her tank top, grateful that for once she’d worn a bra.

“Are you insane?” Skywalker yelled.

But Rae didn’t care. She had her eyes shut, arching her back towards the vents as she turned up the air conditioning. Her bra was a scrap of purple lace, sheer silk barely containing the slight curves of her breasts. It took all she had within herself not to unhook the flimsy undergarment.

Rae forced her eyes open and caught a glimpse of herself in the rear view mirror, her pupils dilated until hazel irises appeared black. It was as if she were on a hallucinogen, her body humming to keep up with the heat under her skin. 

She turned to Skywalker, trembling in reaction to whatever it was that had blossomed in her brain. He was holding the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. His business shirt was plastered to his body; sweat turning the pale skin slick, the fly of his pants bulging invitingly. 

For the first time, Rae recognized the rage on his handsome face for what it was—barely suppressed lust. 

“Scarlet,” Rae gasped.

Skywalker looked at her with eyes like black flame, his pupils blown wide. “Excuse me?”

“Drive me home.”

“You’re not making any sense _and_ you’re half naked, Jackson.”

“Just drive me home, you dummy! We need to avert… complications,” Rae sighed, her palm coming in contact with a contracted nipple. She tried to explain as Skywalker turned the car around with a screech of tires. “Phasma told me yesterday she would fix us up.”

“What does that mean?” he demanded. “She’s not a bloody matchmaker.” 

“I think this is what she meant. She must have made it so we’d want each other. Coming from her warped little mind, I suppose it could pass for romance.”

“Why would she bother?” he asked, his right foot almost flat on the floor. His erection was a magnum of steel in his pants.

“To distract us,” Rae whimpered, crossing her legs in desperation.

Skywalker forced himself to focus on Scarlet’s supposed plan. “Why now? Why didn’t we feel like this yesterday?”

“A trigger.”

“Kaydel? Were we getting too close to her?”

“Maybe it was Hux,” Rae replied, her hand under her skirt.

“Jackson, stop it! Control yourself.”

“Easy for you to say,” she spat. “Gratification is easier to achieve when you’re a man.” Rae laced her fingers together so tight they hurt.

“We’ll just stay away from each other until this feeling goes away,” Skywalker muttered. “We’re almost at your place.” 

“Almost isn’t good enough,” Rae gasped, turning to him.

She had him unzipped in seconds, moaning as she wrapped a hand around his thick, swollen shaft. Her mouth was filling with saliva, she so badly wanted to taste him. 

Skywalker roughly pushed her hand out of his lap. “You’re home.”

Wide hazel eyes latched onto his glimmering amber gaze. Rae was completely lost to her desire. 

“Skywalker…”

“No.” He shook his head to stop his world from spinning.

“Please.” Rae undid her seatbelt and slid onto her knees. She leaned forward and nibbled his earlobe, making him jump. 

“If we do this…” His resolve was weakening. “No, we can’t do this… and remain partners. There would be too many problems.”

“Unless,” Rae sank her teeth into his neck, licking the bruise she’d created.

Skywalker was losing all control now. He picked her up by the waist, settling Rae’s lithe body across his knees. “Unless what?” he asked hopefully.

She was mewling like a kitten. “Unless we agree that it’s just physical. No messy emotions apply.”

He was silent. 

“We need to scratch the itch, partner,” she whispered. “Our case depends on it.”

Neither one remembered arriving at her apartment after groping and stumbling through the building like hormonal honeymooners. The next day, Rae would thank the fates there was no one to see them.

They didn’t even make it to her bed the first time round, stripping off their clothes at a speed that ripped buttons and tore fabric. In the moment before consummation, time seemed to slow down. 

Skywalker tried to press his sensuous mouth to hers, but she backed away. “No,” she murmured, in agony of anticipation. “No kissing. Just sex.”

He nodded, his big hands suddenly self-conscious, fumbling as he reached for her nude body. 

Their first time was rough, animalistic. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, his steel erection entering her soaking wet pussy without any hesitation, slamming her against a wall, his hard shaft penetrating her snug velvet tunnel.

Rae peaked simultaneously with Skywalker; their husky cries an erotic duet. He was so aroused he stayed hard, pumping and thrusting until she climaxed once again, and he emptied his seed deep inside her womb.

They staggered to her big bed once they recovered from their initial orgasms. Immediately, supple limbs became a tangle of naked flesh. To his credit, Skywalker proved himself tireless, energetically taking her in a variety of positions for hours on end, until she was swollen and tender and every thrust inside her core made Rae writhe like a belly dancer.

They shuddered and peaked and came in harmony until at last the lovers sank into a black haze of physical exhaustion.


	6. Chapter 6

I can’t stand to fly; I’m not that naïve,  
Men weren’t meant to ride with clouds between their knees  
\---------------------------------------------------

Rae woke up alone in her bed, the sun dipping into the horizon. She felt bereft, stripped bare of all her defenses. 

Between her thighs she was sticky and sore, as if her skin had been licked by flame. Her sheets were stained with Skywalker; his scent, his sweat and his seed. She stretched out on the rumpled linen, her heart twisting inside her chest.

She realized she did not want her sexual feats with her partner to fade away unremembered. And yet she’d promised him the afternoon would only be about physical gratification. Skywalker was not her boyfriend nor a one night stand; he was a reluctant companion in more ways than one.

Rae battled the tears that gathered in her eyes. She was being ridiculous. She knew there was no fairy tale ending to be had here.

The sound of smashing glass startled her out of her reverie. Rae grabbed her revolver from the holster lying on the floor next to her discarded skirt. Completely nude, she walked quietly to the kitchen with her gun in position.

“Did they teach you that stance at the Jakku academy?” his husky voice teased.

Skywalker stood at the cream marble counter of her kitchen, sweeping up a broken plate. His own body was unclothed.

“What-” Rae cleared her throat, lowering her gun. “What are you doing?”

“I woke up hungry,” he explained, amber gaze unreadable. “Did you know that apart from a bowl of oranges, you only have a box of animal crackers?”

“I don’t cook,” she explained, suddenly as vulnerable as a little girl. She felt his eyes dance over her smooth, bare skin. “I thought you’d gone home.”

“Do you want me to?” Skywalker took the gun from her hand and laid it on the kitchen counter.

“No.” She longed to kiss his sensuous mouth but held back. 

No kissing. It was her own ridiculous rule; as if everything else they had done meant so little.

“I thought we could discuss the case.” He grabbed an orange, leading her back to the bed.

“Skywalker?” Rae felt as if her nerve endings were exposed, her voice quivering as she spoke his name.

They tumbled into bed together. It felt strange to have his big, muscular body draped atop her soft frame even after all they’d done last night. She cradled his head and nestled ebony black hair in the softness of her breasts. She took an orange from his hand and peeled the fruit, plucking out individual segments and feeding him the tart flesh. 

She ached to have him inside her, claiming her body one more time, but she could not voice her desires, not even with Skywalker naked and resplendent in her arms, afraid he would reject her still. 

He sucked orange segments from her fingers, the juices running from his mouth, pooling on his chest. She licked this up, her tongue settling on his right nipple. He groaned and pushed her back onto her sheets, spreading slender thighs for his pleasure. 

They made love unashamedly and Rae found herself sobbing at the end. He held her afterwards, enfolding her slim body within his big, broad frame.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked in concern.

“No,” she whispered. “It wasn’t you.”

“Another man, then. Who?”

“My fiancée… ex-fiancée.”

“What happened?”

“I came home one day to find him screwing one of the blonde co-eds he taught.”

“I’m sorry, Jackson.”

“Don’t be, Skywalker. That rat bastard is the reason why I have this place. Sheev Palpatine came from old money and his family paid me to sign a confidentiality agreement. Their son was destined to become the next state senator and they didn’t want to risk any bad press.”

He looked at her with amber eyes that were as soft as the warm night air. “Money doesn’t make up for the betrayal.”

She forced a smile for his benefit, sitting up in his arms. “Why don’t you make it all better? Make me feel really, really good.” 

And he did. They made love until the bedsprings squeaked in protest and neither one of them had any breath to speak. 

Rae realized she was undone. 

Phasma had ruined her life. Now that she knew what it was to have Ben Skywalker in her bed, holding her as if she were the only woman in the world, nothing else would suffice. 

Rae walked into the station the next morning with her pulse thrumming like a hummingbird’s wings. 

She felt more nervous than she’d been on her first day. She purposefully wore her sneakers with a blue button down shirt and black skirt; something official rather than sexy.

Skywalker had left her apartment last night after a late supper of more oranges and a pizza delivered to the door. He’d taken with him nothing more than the clothes she tore off his back. 

And her heart. He had left with her heart. 

But they’d agreed it was just sex. 

Who was she kidding?

“Jackson. Just in time.”

Rae felt her mouth go as dry as cotton. Skywalker stood before her in a black suit and tie, his gaze intense.

“Yes?” she squeaked, and immediately cleared her throat. 

“We’ve received a call. Another phaser death.”

She took a second to process his words, wishing her reaction was not one of disappointment. Had she really expected Skywalker to comment on their time together?

Rae forced herself to become her detective self. “Who was murdered?” 

His answer stunned her. 

“Phasma.”

Twenty minutes later they arrived at a luxury apartment complex, not unlike the white and green marble monstrosity where Rae lived. Phasma’s building was granite and stainless steel, and the blonde beauty had the penthouse suite.

“I had no idea that whips and chains paid so well,” Rae murmured as they walked into the beautifully appointed place. “Is that crystal chandelier for real?” 

“Skywalker and the beautiful Jackson,” a gravelly voice called out.

“Hey doc,” Skywalker greeted the coroner. 

Doc Kanata smiled at them and Rae gave her a little wave.

“The bedroom’s back here.”

The room had a four-poster cherry wood bed and one very sexy and very dead woman. 

Phasma was laid out in the center of the mattress like a literary vampire, her legs straight, her arms crossed over her chest. Her perfect body was clad in a skintight sapphire silk cocktail dress, her painted toenails peeking out of black stilettos. Her lips and nails were the same blood red, perfectly made up, her alabaster skin now washed out. 

“Missing organs?” Rae asked as Skywalker stood frowning over the prone body.

“Yes,” Kanata replied. “Even cleaner than the other one. No signs of struggle or strangulation, though there was a droplet of blood on the carpet fibers near the entranceway. She may have been killed in the front hall then laid out here.”

“Laid out,” Skywalker echoed. 

“What?” Rae asked, walking over to a delicate legged antique table filled with sleek silver photo frames.

“Look at her, Jackson.”

Rae turned, picture in hand. 

“She’s been posed. No awkward death for Phasma. The murderer knew her… cared for her.”

“I agree,” Rae said, her eyes going wide as she studied what she held. “I think you need to see this.”

He glanced at the picture of Phasma with a blonde girl. They were at the beach, their faces wearing identical smiles. Skywalker’s chiseled face softened and Rae felt her heart twist inside her chest. 

“Phasma had a daughter,” he murmured.

Rae rolled her eyes. “I know men can be obtuse about women and our hair, so I’m going to spell it out for you.” 

Skywalker looked at her curiously. 

“That’s Kaydel.” 

“What?” he exclaimed, his eyes returning to the photograph.

“She was brunette in Hux’s picture, but that’s her.”

“Phasma’s daughter was Mayor Snoke’s mistress,” Skywalker said, thinking aloud. “Kaydel had powers like her mother.”

Rae shook her head, handing the photograph to a crime scene technician. “What’s our theory; that Kaydel went crazy and began stealing vital organs from Snoke and now her mother? Skywalker, we have no motive.” 

“I bet Hux could shed some more light on the relationship.”

“He didn’t mention the fact that Phasma and Kaydel were related. Perhaps he didn’t know.”

Skywalker gave her a disbelieving look. Whatever else he wanted to say was lost in a sudden confusion of sound. A uniform came bursting into the apartment.

“Detectives, we were canvassing the building and found something. There’s a possible suspect trapped in the basement.”

They didn’t wait for the elevator, taking the stairwell instead. Skywalker was an entire flight ahead of her by the time they reached the basement, but he waited for Rae’s sneakers to touch ground before approaching the scene. Four uniforms stood outside a closed laundry door, their guns drawn. 

Rae pulled her piece as her partner did the same.

They exchanged glances, Skywalker nodding towards the biggest of the men to kick the door down. He did, and the detectives stormed in. 

The laundry was a white room filled with gleaming washers and dryers. In the corner was a thin girl with dirty brown hair, her natural blonde showing through an old dye job in patches. She wore jeans and a t-shirt, her face in her arms as she sobbed maniacally.

“Kaydel?” Rae asked, stepping closer to the quivering creature. 

She lifted a tear streaked face, her lips trembling. “W-who are you?”

Rae crouched down next to the girl, lowering her gun. “My name is Detective Jackson, Kaydel. I’m here to help.”

“My mother’s dead,” Kaydel wailed. “You can’t help me!”

Rae glanced at Skywalker. “Kaydel, can you tell me what happened?” she asked.

The girl began shaking again. She clutched her stomach, turning to throw up on the ground. 

“I’m just going to call a doctor,” Rae said, reaching for her mobile phone.

“No,” Kaydel croaked. “This is just…” she started laughing hysterically, “… morning sickness.” The girl gripped the side of the nearest machine and pulled herself up. 

“You’re pregnant,” Rae murmured. “The father…?”

“Is dead,” she snarled, sounding like a wounded animal. 

“Mayor Snoke.”

Kaydel didn’t respond, declaring, “Death is the only constant in my life.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Kaydel,” Rae murmured, holding out a hand to the young girl. “Why don’t you come with me and we’ll…”

“Don’t you touch me! I won’t be locked up in a jail cell!” Her voice was a scream.

“Calm down, Kaydel.”

“You don’t understand!” Her azure eyes began to glow, her thin sheet of hair rising as if blown by a wind. “All my childhood I was kept in a room with my mother’s psychic barriers as bars. She locked me up so I wouldn’t accidentally phase through people and kill them. I won’t go back to that life.”

“You’re an adult now, Kaydel,” Rae told her. “Things work differently. You can have a lawyer present. We just want to talk to you…”

“No!” Kaydel phased through the tiled floor until she was hip deep, grabbing Rae by the ankle.

The redhead gasped. It felt as if her entire body had been doused in iced water as transparent fingers sank through flesh and bone. 

“Jackson!” Skywalker shouted, his gun pointed at the wild-eyed girl. “Let her go!”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Kaydel hissed.

All at once, things began to happen. A uniformed police officer let loose with a single shot and the bullet sliced through Kaydel’s insubstantial forehead, ploughing into the wall behind her. Skywalker yelled for the others to hold their fire, but it was too late. 

Kaydel let go of Rae’s ankle and she phased through the floor to pull the offending officer’s leg into the ground. Then she disappeared, leaving behind a screaming man, his foot now solidified and crushed by the dense concrete foundation.

Rae struggled to her feet, her body still in shock from contact with Kaydel. Skywalker was barking orders for a paramedic. He threw an arm around her waist, dragging Rae away from the scene of the crime.

“She’s gone,” he said grimly, staying clear of the doorway as uniformed paramedics came charging down the stairs.

“We have our motive,” Rae said, pulling away from Skywalker’s hold, leaning against the wall instead. “Kaydel went to Snoke to blackmail him for money. Or maybe she was unbalanced enough to think he would marry her. Whatever the case, the mayor refused and she lost control.”

“Like today,” Skywalker agreed.

“Why would she kill her own mother?” Rae wondered. “Phasma was protecting Kaydel from us.” And she blushed, recalling the previous day’s sexual trigger.

Skywalker ignored her tell-tale response. “All that talk about imprisonment was a big hint,” he replied. “Kaydel feared she’d be restrained like when she was a child.”

Rae shivered slightly, the girl’s cold touch still running through her veins. “That’s horrible. Phasma tried the best way she knew how to protect her super powered daughter and instead created an unbalanced psycho.”

“One thing’s for sure,” Skywalker said, his eyes on the grimacing police office being carried out on a stretcher, one leg ending in a bloody stump, “we’re not going to take her down with bullets.”


	7. Chapter 7

I’m only a man in a silly red sheet  
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street  
\--------------------------------------

Rae was at her desk when Captain Calrissian called both Skywalker and her into his office. 

She wondered if they were about to be chewed out over Kaydel’s escape when she spotted an older man in a dark suit sitting in a chair, one ankle propped over a knee. He had deep brown eyes, his hair a shaggy mahogany, his demeanor all Federal Agent.

“Skywalker,” he greeted the detective.

“Solo,” Skywalker responded. “Why am I not surprised?”

His sparkling gaze moved to Rae in interest. “And you’re Detective Jackson.” He stood up to shake her hand. “Han Solo, FBI. I always wondered what it would take for Skywalker to accept a partner.”

Rae felt a flush color her cheeks but refused to acknowledge the comment. “What does the FBI want with us?”

“Captain Calrissian said you were having issues dealing with a powers criminal.”

“There are no issues, Solo,” her partner snapped.

He grinned. “Whatever, Skywalker. Do you want my help or not?”

Skywalker remained mutinous so Rae spoke. “What do you have for us?” 

Solo gave her an impish look before pulling out a black briefcase from under the chair he’d been sitting on. He opened it to reveal a silver gun nestled in foam and a dozen darts with hollow centers filled with a pale blue liquid.

“This is the most powerful sedative in the known world. It was recently developed by some egg heads in naval defense, and we’re all reaping the benefits.”

“A sedative?” Skywalker said skeptically.

“One of these babies would put down a herd of elephants,” Solo told him. “We flagged it for powers use since it’s easier to deal with the bastards when they’re out for the count. Handcuffs don’t seem to do it anymore, as I’m sure you realize.”

“And what if they have impenetrable skin?” Skywalker asked as Rae picked up the heavy dart gun.

“Then run like hell,” Solo laughed. He walked over to Rae, placing his hand on top of hers. “Would you like me to show you how to use that?”

“I’m sure I’ll work it out, thanks.”

Solo whipped out a card, tucking it into her breast pocket. “Any time you need help, just give me a call Detective Jackson.”

“Back off before I fracture your thumbs, Agent Solo.”

The agent looked amused rather than offended.

“That’s enough,” Calrissian intervened. “Thank you for your assistance, Solo. We’ll take it from here.” 

“Pompous airbag,” Skywalker muttered minutes later as Solo left the building. 

Rae placed the black case on her desk. “This gizmo might help,” she said, “as long as we can hit Kaydel before she shifts into Casper the friendly ghost.”

Skywalker’s phone rang and he went to answer it. Rae tried to busy herself with the gun, but she noticed an odd look on his face when he hung up. 

“Um, why don’t you get started on finding Hux’s home address? I’ll be right back.” 

Rae frowned at his evasive manner but shrugged it off. Focusing on the job was the only way she would retain her sanity after… after everything. 

She loaded the dart gun and tucked it into her bag before turning to her computer. Hux was an easy find; he had a prior record for driving under the influence of psychotropic meds and was already in the system. She jotted down the address and went searching for Skywalker.

“Looking for your partner?” an openly derisive voice asked.

Rae turned to face Poe. “What is your deal?”

“Skywalker’s with one of his special friends.” Poe jumped to his own conclusions when a pained expression crossed her face. “I knew it! Not even you trust those freaks. It’s not right that Skywalker spends more time with his super pals than he does doing everyday police work.”

Rae lost her temper at that. “You just can’t deal with the fact that Skywalker is better at this job than you are. Stop talking to me as if I care about your petty jealousy.”

She left Poe to stew in his own juices, heading for the stairs to the rooftop. Rae hesitated for the flicker of a moment before stepping out onto the dusty space.

Skywalker was seated on the cement ledge with Bazine. The gorgeous brunette was laughing at something the detective had said, her head thrown back in delight, her slim hand with its glittering lavender nails resting on his thigh. She stiffened when Rae appeared.

“I see your sidekick is here,” Bazine said snidely.

Her honeysuckle voice sliced through Rae like a butcher knife. “I found an address for Hux,” she announced.

“I’ll be right… there.” Skywalker turned to Rae but she was gone.

The redhead half ran to the ladies bathroom, locking herself in a stall. She placed a hand over her three buns, the tightly bound strands now making her head hurt.

_Don’t cry, Rae. Don’t you dare._

She was so very stupid, holding out hope that what was very much a forced encounter could become something more. Clearly Skywalker had taken her at her word and considered their time together as nothing more than sex. Why would he want her when supergirl was flirting with him?

Rae looked down at fingers that trembled with the emotion coursing through her veins. She had to pull herself together. She would die before she showed Skywalker her true feelings and attracted his pity. 

Rae splashed cold water on her face before exiting the washroom.

“Jackson, there you are.” 

She refused to look at Skywalker, grabbing her bag from her desk. “Let’s go,” she said, exiting the station for the parking lot. 

“Jackson.”

Rae couldn’t deal with the coaxing tone in his low voice. She had to focus on the case.

“Jackson!”

“What?” Rae stood waiting next to his car.

Skywalker looked at her; not knowing how to bring up what they both knew was wrong. “Bazine is an old friend.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” Rae said, her tone as sharp as broken glass. “You don’t owe me anything. What you do on your time is your own business.”

“Yesterday…”

“Happened against our wills, am I right?”

“Only at first,” Skywalker replied, his husky voice dropping lower still.

She turned her back to him, blinking back sudden tears. Damn it.

“Jackson, are we okay?”

“I’m dealing.” Rae took a deep breath. “In the meantime, our only lead is waiting for us to nab him.”

They found Hux’s flat empty and waited half an hour in uncomfortable silence before the boy turned up on his bicycle. This time there weren’t any preliminary greetings. 

They brought him in for questioning, leaving him in a room with walls the color of bile for an hour before he was interviewed.

“What’s going on?” Hux asked, petrified.

Rae took the chair across from him and Skywalker remained standing, his arms crossed over his chest. 

“You lied to us,” Skywalker declared.

“What?” Hux squeaked. “Wha- no. No. I never…”

“Are you working with Kaydel?” Skywalker asked. “Is that what’s going on?”

“No!” he gasped. “I haven’t seen her since Sunday.”

“You didn’t tell us that Phasma and Kaydel were family, Hux,” Rae said, watching him carefully. 

He blanched, fear written all over his puppy dog face. “I didn’t mean… Oh, no.”

“You withheld evidence,” Skywalker said, slamming his fists on the scarred table. “Are you an accessory to the murders? Is that why you lied?”

Hux looked as if he was about to hyperventilate. “I’m sorry! I did it for Kaydel. I love her. I thought I was protecting her.”

“She’s a killer, Hux,” Rae said gently.

“You don’t know that,” he protested. 

“I watched her put a cop in hospital,” she told him.

Hux looked at the redhead in shock. “You saw Kaydel? Is she okay?”

“She was… volatile,” Rae told him.

“But she’s better? She was sick the last time I saw her.”

“Kaydel isn’t ill, Hux. She told us she was pregnant.”

The boy looked about ready to pass out. “Is it… is it mine?”

Skywalker laughed in disbelief at Hux’s question and Rae frowned at him. “She said the child was Mayor Snoke’s.” Hux sank into his chair like a deflated balloon. “You need to help us find Kaydel.”

He gulped air like a stranded goldfish for long minutes. Finally, he asked, “How?”

Rae smiled reassuringly at him. “Easy. Tell us all the places where she could be.”


	8. Chapter 8

Only a man in a funny red sheet  
Looking for special things inside of me...  
Inside of me.  
\---------------------------------

Rae was alone in the station with the night staff. It had been a busy two days, staking out the different places Hux named, but no one had seen Kaydel. The case was rapidly growing cold. 

She knew she should just go home; there was nothing more to review. But home was no longer a place of refuge. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of Skywalker’s nude body entwined with hers, the weight of his limbs, the taste of oranges on his skin. 

_He’s moved on, Rae. You’re not that difficult to forget, especially when the girl who wants to take the place you had for all of three seconds is literally out of this world._

She was officially pathetic.

The phone on Skywalker’s desk rang and Rae jumped to answer it. Any distraction was welcome. 

“Detective Skywalker! I need your help!”

“Hux?” Rae said, recognizing the panicked tone. “This is Detective Jackson. What is it?”

“It- it’s Kaydel. I’ve found her.”

“Where are you, Hux?”

“A warehouse downtown, near the overpass.”

“That’s the river side. Isn’t that Storm Trooper’s territory?” 

“I don’t- I don’t know. Do you think he has something to do with the killings?”

“Just wait there. I’m on my way.”

Rae hung up, reaching over the joined desks to grab her jacket and bag. She turned to go, but then jerked to a stop.

_Call him. You need back up._

_No. He’s probably in bed with Bazine and I’ll be interrupting his weekend over nothing more than a cry wolf from a freaked out little boy._

_You just don’t want him to know that you’re working late on a Friday night._

Rae shook her head. She commandeered a squad car. The boxy beige vehicle screamed cop car but she had no choice. She honestly did not think Kaydel would be waiting around for her arrival. Still she checked her bag for the dart gun, making sure it was still loaded with the blue liquid sedative capsules.

_Call Skywalker._

The drive took longer than she’d expected, but she was almost there. Rae saw a glimmer of water as she drove down a road. In the distance, a row of warehouses rose like square, silent giants. 

_Call Skywalker._

Rae compromised. She pulled her mobile phone from her jeans pocket and sent her partner a text message. 

**Hux called. Saw Kaydel. Riverside warehouse.**

It was all the information Skywalker needed, though she hoped he’d switched off his mobile. Rae didn’t want to see him any more than necessary. Not until the blood from her wounded heart had congealed.

She parked the car and got out, her high heeled boots crunching gravel beneath her feet.

“Detective!” Hux stood at the warehouse entrance, waving her over. 

The boy still seemed worked up and she pulled the gun with its sedative darts. But why would Kaydel have remained with Hux? He was incapable of being duplicitous with her. The girl surely would have known her love struck devotee had something up his sleeve. 

“Detective Jackson, thanks for coming.”

Rae frowned at the nervous young man. “Where is she, Hux?” She stepped into the warehouse, her arms tensed. 

“Now that you’re here, everything’s gonna work out.”

A pungent smell assaulted her nostrils. Rae blinked away tears as a result of chemical fumes. 

“I mean, now that Phasma’s dead, Kaydel is finally free.”

Turpentine. The entire warehouse stank of turps. What was going on?

“She was so angry when she heard I’d spoken to you and Detective Skywalker, but I promised Kaydel I would make it right.”

Rae walked towards the strong fumes, Hux trotting behind her.

“Where is Detective Skywalker, by the way?”

Warning bells were sounding but Rae kept her eyes open for Kaydel. “Um, he’s not on call tonight.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I didn’t want there to be any loose ends.”

“Hux, what are you talking…?” She never got to finish her sentence. Something hard came crashing down at the base of her skull and everything went black.

Rae awoke with a splitting headache, uncertain how much time had passed. She automatically reached for her weapon but both the revolver and the dart gun were missing. She raised her head slowly; it felt like a pumpkin propped on a shaky stick.

“What’s going on?” Rae croaked.

She was sprawled on a cement floor. The room was filled with wooden cartons, and against a stack of cardboard boxes lay Kaydel. The blonde appeared even groggier than her, a wound on her forehead dripping blood. Rae wondered if Hux had hit Kaydel with a rock as well as one of the tranquilizers. 

“You’re awake,” he said. Hux emerged from the shadows, casually tossing away an empty turpentine jar, the glass smashing ceremoniously on the cement floor. “That’s a pity. It would have hurt less if you remained unconscious.”

“It was you.” Rae stared at the boy, realization dawning in her hazel eyes. “It was you all along, you little maggot.” She struggled to her feet.

Hux pulled a sawn-off shotgun from a cardboard box and calmly aimed it at her chest. “I did it for Kaydel,” he said, not even looking at the girl sprawled at his feet. “I thought she loved me. She would sleep with me even though she was being paid a thousand dollars a night to be with the mayor.”

“That’s not love,” Rae said, grunting as she straightened her neck. “Kaydel used you when she wanted, Hux. She’s damaged goods.”

“You don’t know her,” Hux said, pale eyes dilating dangerously.

“What did you do?” the redhead asked. “Did you drug Kaydel? Control her so that she killed Mayor Snoke and Phasma?”

The boy burst into hysterical laughter, the shotgun wavering in his grasp. “That was the brilliant part of the whole thing. Kaydel had no idea that I was creating our perfect life using her abiilities!”

Rae stared at Hux, judging the distance between her and the weapon in his shaky hands. “How?”

“When we made love, something amazing would take place,” he explained. “For about an hour afterwards I would have all of Kaydel’s powers.”

“It must have been the exchange of fluids,” Rae guessed. 

Hux scowled at her. “Don’t be crude.”

That was it- she’d had enough. Rae was not about to be told off by some punk kid masking his psychosis by pretending to be a modern day Romeo. “Kaydel is pregnant by another man, Hux. There was never going to be a perfect life with you.”

“Don’t say that,” he gasped as if she had stuck a dagger through his stomach.

“She screwed you because you were the one thing in her life she could control, Hux. You were her trained pet monkey.” 

“You’re a liar.” His hands shook more and Rae took a cautious step closer to him.

She glanced quickly at Kaydel. Her eyes were closed, breath coming in deep gasps. The quivering in her limbs was greater now. 

Pain and desperation and a profound fear etched deep lines on Hux’s puppy dog features. The smell of turpentine completely permeated the air.

“You’re nothing more than a john who’s now her willing slave,” Rae said, tempting him to make a move.

“Shut up!” Hux screamed. He kicked over another metal can and the fumes instantly thickened.

“Why are you wasting your life on a woman who doesn’t give a damn about you?”

His lips drew back, teeth gritted. The body propped against the steel containers shuddered once more and fell limp.

Rae took another step. “She’s not yours, Hux. Kaydel will never be yours.”

“Shut up!” He raised the gun and a shot rang out, deafening. Rae flinched, but it was Kaydel who fell dead, her head pulped by shotgun pellets. 

Hux stumbled and Rae reacted. She dove for the shotgun, rolling across the cold cement floor. She went down, hitting her knee hard. Pain splintered across her hip. She raised the shotgun. Fired. 

Hux jumped up and back, slamming into the ground six feet beyond. A crimson circle appeared on his chest. His eyes met hers. Surprised.

Rae knew she had to run for her life. Fire erupted in the warehouse, ignited by the sparks thrown by the gunfire. A blaze started on the ground right beside her, racing along turpentine streaks on the ground to where Kaydel and Hux lay. Sparks flared and spewed, heat blistering the air, wood and steel crackling.

Hux’s prone body disappeared behind the smoldering flame. Kaydel was a black statue against the brightness, her hair aflame, her broken body coming alive in the searing heat; the center of a mad inferno. Rae watched, spellbound, until the thick smoke and yellow tongues rose like a wall, obscuring her vision. 

Rae staggered out of the warehouse, barely making it to her car. She used the police radio to call for assistance, staying conscious until the first screaming fire truck arrived. 

Skywalker spotted the fire first. He read Jackson’s message a half hour after it had been sent, cursed out loud and jumped into his car. He reached the river bank at the same time as the fire engines and squad cars. 

A warehouse was on fire, the bank of the river ablaze in the night. Black smoke mushroomed into the air.

Where was she?

He started running. Small fires kindled, licking along the banks. Wet foliage steamed. But even as he turned to face the warehouse, the fire began to die, patches of oily water looking like deep holes in the flames.

Behind him Calrissian swore steadily. “What the hell happened out here, Ben?”

“Jackson was at the scene,” was his only reply.

The captain stared at him. “Alone? Where were you?”

Skywalker didn’t answer, jogging past yellow-slickered firemen. “Did you find anyone?”

“Two dead bodies,” one man replied.

Skywalker felt his gut clench. 

“Where’re the paramedics?” someone started hollering. “We’ve got a live one!” 

Skywalker spun around and his agony eased. There was no mistaking the wine dark hair of the person on the ground. 

Rae came to as the man in dark blue strapped an oxygen mask to her face. She pushed the plastic away. “I’m fine,” she wheezed, struggling to sit up. “Get that away from me.”

“You’ve inhaled smoke, ma’am.”

“I don’t care,” Rae snarled. “I need to get out of this ambulance. And don’t call me ma’am. It’s Detective.” 

“You should check into the hospital, Detective.”

She glared at the paramedic with furious eyes and the young man cringed, quickly leaving. She was fine, the redhead told herself. Fine. Don’t think… Don’t think about Kaydel, burned black, a bloated corpse...

Her shivers grew worse. Tears of shock and exhaustion coursed down her face. Rae saw her again in her mind’s eye, Kaydel, her hair flaming, her spilled brain matter cooking in the roar of the fire.

_Stop it._

Rae drew the scratchy blankets she’d been covered with closer around herself. Sweat pooled beneath her breasts and trickled slowly across her back.

“You’ll roast in that thing,” a voice said.

“I think I avoided the cook-out.”

Skywalker chuckled mirthlessly. At the sound, the tightness in her chest eased. 

He pushed the blanket away from her face. “Rae.” He used her name for the first time, undoing her completely.

“Oh, Ben.” Without thinking she said, “I killed a man.”

Skywalker nodded, unsurprised.

“I’ve shot two men in my career and felt nothing. Nothing at all. But tonight…” Rae turned away. “Tonight I killed a man. I killed a boy, really. Hux. And I saw his eyes. The… dismay. Isn’t that a strange thing to see in the eyes of someone dying? Not fear or anger… just mild concern.”

Skywalker stayed still, waiting. His gaze never left hers. Never wavered.

“This job is my life. I love it more than anything. But now…” Fresh tears made a new path through the salt and smoke on her face. She swallowed and the motion ached deep inside.

Skywalker’s hand slid up the length of her neck and cradled her head, broad palm against her cheek. Long, long fingers curling back and up, settling against her nape. And when he pulled her forward, she didn’t resist. 

But he didn’t kiss her. Just held her close, mouth to mouth, breath to breath. The ache he’d started was a deep pulse low in her belly. Heat that had nothing to do with the fire she’d escaped now settled all along her skin, electric, like faraway lightning in his eyes.

“Hux killed Phasma, then?”

“Yes,” Rae nodded.

“And Mayor Snoke?”

“And Kaydel. Every time they had sex he temporarily absorbed her powers.”

Skywalker was silent for a long minute. “You smell like smoke.”

She nodded slowly.

“And turps.”

Rae sighed, the motion bringing her lips to within a hair’s breadth of his.

“And… oranges.”

She laughed, a soft explosion of sound, but quickly sobered again. “I smell like burned flesh. Kaydel’s flesh.”

“Yes, you do.” 

The words were softened by the light in his eyes, like the smoke in the air softened the sharp edges of burnt construction. The darkness she sensed in his soul moved in the depths of his gaze, coiling like a serpent. 

Fear, sudden and fierce, swept over her. Rae put out a hand as if to ward off a blow. Ben smiled, a dark angel, beautiful and deadly.

And then he kissed her. Gently. Lips just touching. Breath intermingled. Gazes locked. The kiss deepened. And Rae slowly lifted her hand to touch his hair, fine as spun silk. Warm. Warm like her flesh on his. The heat spiraled out of him and caught her. Warm pearly spirit and soft breasts and aching, anguished need. 

She finally pulled away, her heart in her throat. “I have a problem.”

“Just the one?” Ben teased, and her emotions threatened to burst and splinter.

“I want to be with you. With all my heart. I don’t want us to just be colleagues, or partners, or friends, or even best friends.”

“Rae…”

“No, let me speak. I might never be nearly burned alive again and possess this much residual adrenaline pumping through my veins.” She placed her palms flat on his chest. “I’m not holding out hope that you’ve changed your mind about us. You probably have a dozen super girls chasing after you and if I’ve missed my window I’ll just have to live with that. I’m sure you feel like you can’t trust me. That it would be a huge mistake because I’m your partner.”

“Rae…”

“But please know that I will never hurt you,” she said, the words tumbling out in a rush, “because I realise what we had was real and rare and special, and the way it feels to kiss you is the way I always want to feel. I’m surrounded by memories of you in my apartment. Ben, I’m still sleeping on your shoulder when I close my eyes at night.”

“Rae.”

“I miss you. Do you…” her breath caught in her throat, “do you miss me?” 

Again, that quicksilver smile lit up his face, turning amber eyes into sunlight. "You really do talk too much."

She bit her lip, red eyes teary. "I know. It's part of my charm."

His expression turned serious. “It was never just about sex, Rae. Not even for me. I want this too. I want you.”

And then he was kissing her and the rest of the world tumbled away.

Rae rested in the arms of her partner, her lover, her love. This feeling... it was all the superpower she needed.

**Author's Note:**

> I grew up reading comic books thanks to two older brothers. 'Powers' is a comic book series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming that asks the question, how would we deal with superheroes and villains if they existed in the real world? I haven't seen the short-lived tv series , but I love, love, LOVE the original comic book material. It's funny, sexy and smart. Highly recommended.  
> My story follows some plot points from the original story arch of the comic series, but the murder mystery is all my own.  
> The lyrics that begin each chapter is from Five For Fighting's 'Superman'.  
> I hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear what you think, but please be kind.


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